A small Connecticut town—and a community of artists and designers—helped Priscilla Caldwell realize a dream she shared with her late husband: a family getaway as cozy as it is spare.

It Takes a Village

It Takes a Village

The picture-postcard New England town of Norfolk, Connecticut, has long attracted urban types looking for an escape, which makes it no surprise that Priscilla Caldwell, a director at the DC Moore art gallery in Manhattan, fell sway to the place's charms.

She and her equities trader husband, Will, first rented a vacation home in Norfolk. But as their family expanded to include two daughters, the couple decided to build a retreat all their own, on 15 acres by the Blackberry River. Then, on February 9, 2007, the day the final set of drawings from the architect arrived, Will died of a heart attack while walking home from the gym.

No one would have blamed Priscilla if she'd scrapped the plans then and there. But she had so much invested—emotionally as well as financially—and she believed that her girls needed a refuge more than ever.

In this photo: A triptych of lake photographs by David Hilliard establishes a laid-back mood in the living area. Positioned behind the custom sofa, a stained-pine tavern table doubles as a desk. The turned-wood lamps are by Jamie Young. The door frame is painted Black Blue by Farrow & Ball.

Dining Area

Dining Area

Hope Dana, an architect Priscilla and Will had befriended when they first started visiting Norfolk, helped rethink the blueprint by trimming some of its square footage and formality. Together the women envisioned a more open floor plan, with one big living-dining-kitchen area that encourages togetherness and a large screened-in porch to maximize the forest views.

In this photo: Priscilla's younger daughter, Caroline, descends the stairs leading toward the dining area, where a custom cherry table mixes with 1950s Paul McCobb chairs and a painted-steel pendant lamp by Nautic Lighting. The painting is by Joe Fyfe.